BoB Canon Era Vignettes
by gentlewinnix
Summary: BoB canon era stories under 1,000 words. Multiship, but mainly Winnix. Warnings are listed in the author's note at the top of each chapter.
1. Silent Night - Winnix

**Author's Note: **_"Just once."_ Tumblr prompt fill for jouissant.

Tags include: Canon Era, Episode: s01e06 Bastogne, AU - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst.

* * *

Lewis swears it's been the coldest winter of his life. Even his whiskey is chilled to near-freezing, the metal canteen absorbing the cold in the air. He only takes little sips, these days. There's no telling how long the war will go on, and Dick's footlocker is only so big. On his way back from Battalion, Lew spots Harry, Dick, and Peacock all hunkered down around something. He catches a whiff of something earthy, like wood burning.

"I swear I thought I could smell a fire," he murmurs as he trudges up to the men. Sure enough, one of them has kindled a small flame within a small crater in the frozen soil.

"I _did _smell a fire," he remarks, casually dropping down beside Dick and resting an elbow on his knee for support. "Are you out of your mind?" Lew spreads his hands out regardless, attempting to thaw out his fingers.

"Well, we're in a dell," Dick says, quirking a smile.

Lewis looks up at him. "Huh?"

"It's a-" Dick is interrupted by a familiar loud whistle, and he shoves Lew over. "Down!"

Lew scrambles for cover as the mortar hits, kicking up dirt and snow into the air. The whistle of a second round is drowned out by a sound Lew had been afraid of hearing throughout the entire war - a ragged scream of agony, coming from his best friend. He's at Dick's side in an instant, fumbling for his aid kit as Harry approaches.

"Put out the fire," Lew orders, looking over Dick's wound. It's bad, his right thigh a gaping, bleeding mess where his ODs tore. Dick fights the pain valiantly, gritting his teeth, his head thrown back into the snow as Harry cries out for a medic. Lew pushes his hands up hard against the wound to staunch the blood flow and Dick muffles his cries as best as he can, breaths whistling quickly in and out of his nose. He's too pale already.

"I need an A-jeep to 2nd Battalion CP," Peacock barks into the radio.

"Hear that, Dick? Jeep's on the way. Hang tough, right?" Lew reaches for Dick's hand, squeezing it tightly, and Dick relaxes somewhat. His eyes crack open to look up at Lew.

"Hey, don't you go dying on me now," Lew says. "Doc'll fix you right up, y'hear? You're not done fightin' yet."

"Thanks, Lew," Dick whispers, smiling faintly "You're a good man."

Lewis scoffs. "Whatever you say, Dick." Harry tugs his coat off and spreads it over Dick just before Roe finally shows up, looking dazed. Nix shouts at him and he snaps out of it, dropping to his knees beside Dick and setting to work.

Lew manages to hold himself together through the trip to the hospital, but once Dick is taken out of his sight he collapses into the nearest chair, wracked with silent sobs. He finds himself praying, fervently and desperately, to a God he'd not thought of since Easy was thrown into combat.

"Please, just let something good stay in my life," Lewis begs, his voice breaking. "Just once."


	2. Please, Stay - Winnix

**Author's Note: **_Lew's dying._

Tags include: Canon Era, Post-War, Angst, Unrequited Love.

* * *

Lew wakes up sometime after noon. Dick almost misses it, staring out the hospital window, but he hears the shift in his old friend's breathing and whirls around to see his eyes fluttering open.

"Lew," he breathes. Dick all but runs over to the side of the bed, taking Lew's hand in his own. Lew is so frail now, his skin cold and clammy against Dick's, pale yellow with jaundice.

"Hey," Lew rasps. "You made it." He sounds just as awful as he looks, voice weak and quiet. Dick doubts he has the strength to speak above a whisper.

"Of course I did, Lew. I took the first plane out here."

"Good," Lew sighs, his eyes sliding shut again. "Good. I'm glad. I don't want-" he cuts himself off, looking pained. His hand jerks in Dick's grasp.

"Lew?" Dick tries to hide his panic, but it comes out in the rawness of his voice.

"It's fine," Lew explains hastily, gritting his teeth. "Just a muscle spasm." He relaxes after a moment, prying his eyes open. It seems to take a lot of effort, but he gazes up at Dick with an expression that says it's well worth it to see Dick standing there next to him. "I'm so tired, Dick," he says softly. "So tired."

"Then rest," Dick says simply. "I'll be here."

"In a bit," he says softly. "How's Grace holding up?"

"As well as can be expected," Dick shrugs. "She went to pick up some stuff for you."

Lew nods. "And you? You're taking care of yourself, right?"

Dick chuckles. "Usually I'm the one asking you that question."

"Yeah, well. I don't think I've got much time left here."

"Lew..."

"I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, Dick. I'm dying."

"I know," Dick says. _I'm not ready, _he thinks. _You can't leave me. Not yet. _

_I love you. _


	3. Coup de Grâce - Winnix

**Author's Note: **_Dick doesn't love Lew anymore._

Tags include: Canon Era, Post-War, Angst, Break-Up.

* * *

Dick remembers, quite clearly, the moment he fell out of love with Lew.

He'd been at the Nitration Works just three months, armed already with a promotion and a pay raise, his office adjacent to Lew's. For all he'd moaned and complained about his father, Dick noticed, Lew spent more time drinking with the older Nixon than he did talking to Dick.

Dick drove home alone more often than not, to an empty house. Lew would come back hours later, drunk as a skunk and speaking with the sort of vulgarity that made Dick's stomach turn. Lew had the nerve to kiss him hello, the whiskey on his breath so strong that Dick felt sick, only to saunter over to the cabinet to free up a new bottle of the stuff.

It was on one of those nights when Lew led him into the bedroom and laid him out under him, fingers and tongue cajoling Dick clumsily, drunkenly, and Dick looked up at Lew's face and felt nothing. He squirmed under Lew's touch, suddenly uncomfortable, and shoved him off when he ignored Dick's quiet protests. Lew sat staring as Dick stood up, buttoning his shirt and pants and moving to leave.

"Where are you going?" Lew croaked, his words slurred.

"Out."

Lew's face darkened, and Dick felt a pang of concern in spite of himself. "Will you be back?"

"I don't know," Dick replied solemnly. "I need some time alone."

"Okay," said Lew. His voice was flat, like he'd been expecting this for some time, and Dick felt suddenly angry. Lew wasn't even trying to fight to keep him, didn't seem to care at all why Dick wouldn't be touched.

He turned and quit the room before he said something he couldn't take back, let the front door fall shut heavily behind him and started up his rusty old Ford. Dick felt hollow and overfull at the same time. Heat crept up his neck and cheeks and his eyes stung with tears. He backed out of the drive and let the traffic carry him away from the place he'd come to call home.


	4. Mates - Winnix

**Author's Note: **_Lew's been hit. Dick won't leave his side. _Werewolf AU Winnix for Casey_Wolfe.

* * *

Nix looks dead.

Flat on his back on an Army cot with a sheet thrown haphazardly over him, his eyes closed and skin too pale, breathing so slow his chest hardly moves, Harry almost doesn't believe he's still alive. He shouldn't be - the heavy bandages around his head prove as much. In another universe, that bullet might have flown harmlessly past, leaving little more than a red streak just under his hairline. But it hadn't.

Dick had taken it hardest. He'd panicked when Nix hit the ground, screamed for a medic as soon as the blood came, frantically digging for syrettes in his aid kit with shaking hands. Once they were safely off the line he'd disappeared to the field hospital and no one had heard from him since.

Harry had found him next to Nix- but not in a way he'd expected. Curled up on the cot in his wolf form, his ears had pressed flat against his skull and a low growl rumbled from deep in his chest. Harry had had to raise his hands and speak soft assurances just to sit down beside Nix, and Dick still would not allow him to touch the captain. Now, he at least seems to allow the nurses, but watches with distrust in his grey-blue eyes as the weary-faced women check over Nix's vitals periodically.

Harry longs to reach out to his friend, to stroke a hand down his rough brown-red fur and assure him that Nix will be okay, but he fears the animal parts of Dick's brain that have taken over for the time being. He can't trust that Dick won't lunge at him, maybe even take a few fingers off in the process. The captain is in shock - his human consciousness hidden somewhere beneath the wolf's. That's what Roe had told him.

Nix stirs, and Dick lifts his head, gazing at his friend hopefully. After a moment of stillness, Dick drops down again with a soft whine. It occurs to Harry, suddenly, that wolves have mates - humans and other wolves alike whose souls are bound to theirs - and that Nix might be Dick's mate, judging by the alpha's severe reaction. He wonders if Dick had known before this.

He wonders if Nix will live to find out.

Harry knows it would literally kill Dick if Nix died. It's a scary thought, losing both of his best friends at once. He tries not to entertain it, thinking instead about how relieved Dick will be when Nix wakes up again.

He can't afford to think about the alternative.


	5. Soak - Winnix

**Author's Note: **Tumblr prompt fill: _soak_ for jouissant.

Tags include: Canon Era, Angst, Hurt/No Comfort.

* * *

In Germany there's no Vat 69 to be found. Lew breaks into a liquor store in the pouring rain and comes up empty-handed. He sulks outside for a while until the shivers start, and then he finds the house Dick's billetted in. If they weren't in the middle of a war he'd feel bad for ruining the nice carpet with his wet boots, but as it is he couldn't care less. He trudges up the stairs to find Dick hunched over his typewriter as always.

"Footlocker's empty," Dick says without looking up.

"I know," says Lew, shivering. In the silence he can hear it again- _crack _as the plane is hit _, _the _snap _of his parachute opening, the _boom _that followed hardly seconds later. He watched as the plane was enveloped in flames, a full stick still inside.

"Lew, you're getting the floor wet," Dick says. He sounds like he's not sure if he should be angry or concerned. Lew can't move, can't speak around the lump in his throat. He can feel his uniform sticking to his skin. Dick gets to his feet, steering him into the bathroom and peeling off his jacket, silent.

"I know," Lew croaks brokenly.


	6. Bored - Gen

**Author's Note: **Written for HBO War Week 2017.

Tags include: Canon Era, Pre-Canon, Backstory.

* * *

Later in his life he would reflect upon his experiences and see that it was this boredom which led him to make the choice that would shape the remainder of his life. But it was that January of 1941 that he came to recognize his own boredom. For years he'd been stagnant- an empty house in Nixon, New Jersey and a job that required no more from him than his presence and the occasional signature, a girlfriend he could mess around with but had no intention of committing to long-term, and members of New York's elite with whom he could not relate on an intimate level.

So when Pearl Harbor was bombed, rather than dodge the draft a few months down the road he showed up and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He figured the worst that could happen was he'd die some horrific death and be shipped home in a pine box, and that would be that.

His decision was met with confusion and resignation from his family and friends. Lew could tell his father was exasperated- if Lewis died, who would take over the nitration plant? - but he didn't care.

It felt good to make a decision of his own for once.


	7. Mornings in Austria - Winnix

**Author's Note: **"I don't care what anyone else thinks." Tumblr prompt fill for anon.

Tags include: Canon Era, Established Relationship.

* * *

In Austria, Lew gets better. He drinks less and doesn't brood quite so much. He has nightmares now, terrible things that wake them both early in the mornings, but he won't talk about them. He lets Dick kiss him and make love to him until they both fall asleep again, and in the morning he'll still be there sleeping peacefully as Dick gets dressed. They are billeted in separate rooms, but the rooms are joined by a door.

"I don't care what anyone else thinks," Lew says one night when Dick worries someone might notice. "We've been through enough, don't we deserve some comfort?"

Still, they switch between the rooms every few nights. Lew isn't sure there's a point to it, because Dick always tidies up after himself in the mornings to the point that it looks like no one slept there anyway, and Lew never makes his bed at all.

They're polar opposites, and Lew likes it that way.


	8. Half Empty Bottle - Nipton

**Author's Note: **"Kiss me and I'll forgive you." Tumblr prompt fill for mols.

Tags include: Canon Era, Established Relationship, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Relapse, Domestic Fluff.

* * *

Carwood finds the bottle under the sink. It's the only one, Lew swears, but he's angry anyway- or maybe not angry, maybe just disappointed. Lew was almost a month sober- he feels guilty too- but then his dad had came to visit and piled more work on him at the plant and the stress got to him.

"I'm sorry, Car," Lew sighs. "I'm trying my best."

"You're supposed to be honest with me," Carwood retorts. "Hiding it is not being honest, Lewis."

"I know," Lew admits. "I wanted to tell you, but I clammed up. It won't happen again."

Carwood sighs, his shoulders loosening. He turns, facing Lew for the first time now since he'd poured the contents of the bottle down the drain. He's searching Lew's face, trying to discern the future there, perhaps. "Kiss me and I'll forgive you," he says finally.

Lew stares. "What?"

"Kiss me," Carwood repeats, "And I'll forgive you. But it better not happen again."

Lew leans in, kissing Carwood. He pulls away and smiles. "It won't. I promise."


	9. Before I Go - Winnix

**Author's Note: **For an anon on Tumblr. The historical inaccuracies in this are my mistake and mine alone, lol.

Tags include: Canon Era, Post-War, Friendship, Mild Hurt/Comfort.

* * *

After the war, four things happen to Lew. He loses Dick, his father dies, he files for a second divorce, and the nitration plant is liquidated. By then Dick has already made his home in Pennsylvania and settled down with a lovely woman named Ethel, and they are expecting a son. Lew doesn't know his own kid - he saw her, once, right after his father died and he and Kathy were summoned to court to settle on the inheritance. She was but five years old, sketching in a little book and mindless to the events of the room. She didn't even know Lew was her father.

Lewis divorced Irene not long after that, and then the plant went out of business. Lewis was never meant to be a businessman, he thinks, and he'd failed to keep their systems up to date now that plastics were made differently and more efficiently. Dick had had foresight- he told Lew over and over that they should start upgrading their systems, but Lew didn't listen, and the former major packed up and left.

They didn't speak for nearly two years, and it isn't until Lew has lost everything that he picks up the phone and asks the operator for Richard Winters' home line.

"Hello?" Dick's voice crackles over the line, and Lew's heart skips a beat.

"It's Lewis," he chokes out. There's a long silence, and Lew's half afraid Dick's hung up on him. "Dick?"

"Yeah- I-I'm here," Dick says. "Hold on." There's another silence, and Lew hears a door shut. "Hey," Dick says finally. "It's been a while."

"Yeah." Lew sniffs, picking at his pant leg. He's craving a drink, but something stops him from getting one. "Dad's dead," he says.

"I'm sorry." Dick sounds so sincere, too, not like anyone else who'd offered Lew their condolences.

"Thanks." Lew sighs. "I, uh- I was thinking of moving to California. The plant's gone, and the city's- well, it's not called Nixon anymore." Lew chuckles dryly. "There's nothing here for me anymore."

Dick makes a soft noise of sympathy over the line.

"I- I wanted to see you," Lew admits. "Before I go." He knows, deep within his heart, that he won't see Dick again after he moves. He hasn't seen any of the men, in fact, since the war- Dick keeps in contact with them all, goes to reunions, but Lew has never had the heart to. He wasn't anything special to them. He put them in danger on a regular basis- it was his job to map out their battles. He's sure they don't think kindly of him.

"Lew," Dick says, and pauses. Lew's chest is tight. It's over now, he's sure.

"Lew, I could never say no to you."


	10. A Swim - Winnix

**Author's Note:** _Dick and Nix go for a swim._ Tumblr prompt fill for anon.

Tags include: Episode: s01e10 Points, Established Relationship.

* * *

In Austria, Lew wakes to Dick pressing tender kisses to his throat, an arm curled around his shoulders. Lew makes a soft noise of contentment, lying back against the pillows.

"Morning, Lew," Dick greets softly, moving to kiss Lew's cheek now. He needs a shave- since Bastogne he's become lax with the razor. He wonders if he'll ever lose the habit- like the drinking, it's second nature to him at this point.

"It's early," Lew grunts.

"It's ten-thirty," Dick admonishes. "We missed breakfast."

Lew fumbles for his flask, holding it up. "My breakfast is right here."

Dick sighs, shaking his head. "I'm going for a swim. Do you wanna join me?"

Lew cracks an eye open. "It'll be freezing this early."

Dick shrugs. "I don't mind it."

"I'll catch up with you," Lew agrees. "I have to check the post."

"Okay." Dick smiles, kissing Lew on the lips this time, then rolls out of bed. Lew admires his naked figure as he fetches his swim trunks and undershirt footlocker, his dog tags clinking against his chest as he straightens. He smiles at Lew and gets dressed, grabbing a towel and pulling on his boots before he turns to Lew again.

"Going my way?" Dick asks, smiling.

"Always," says Lew.

* * *

In the lake, later- after Dick has shown Lew the photographs and Lew has offered Dick a job and a life in New Jersey- Lew jumps into the lake with his all of his clothes still on. He surfaces with a gasp, teeth chattering in the cold, and Dick laughs and jumps in with him.

"R-r-red h-headed es-eskimo," Lew stutters out. "It's f-f-fucking _f-freezing _in here!"

"You'll adjust," Dick admonishes gently. "It's not so bad after a few minutes."

"Says you," Lewis grovels. "You're half fish, aren't you?"

"Maybe in a past life," Dick teases. He swims close to Lew, crowding him up against the dock. "Your job offer...I've been thinking about it, Lew, and I think you meant more than a job."

Lew looks away, nervous. "Maybe," he says.

"You want me to live with you," Dick says. "To be _with _you." He takes Lew's chin in his hand, tilting Lew's head up so he's looking back at him. "That's what you want, isn't it, Lew?"

"Dick," Lew gasps raggedly. "I-I love you."

Dick smiles knowingly. He doesn't reply, reaching under the water and unbuckling Lew's belt. It falls to the riverbed, and Dick's fingers work open Lew's fly. Lew gasps, pressing back against the dock as Dick's hand slips under his waist. The water doesn't feel so cold anymore, Lew notices vaguely.

"I'll live with you," Dick whispers, kissing Lew's neck, nosing his collar open. "I'll live with you, Lew."

"Dick," Lew moans, clutching the major's shoulders, "I'm gonna…hnn...I want you in me..."

"Okay," says Dick, and turns Lew around, pressing him against the dock and tugging his pants down.


	11. Lazy Sunday Mornings - Winnix

**Author's Note: **_Lew shares breakfast with Dick and reflects on his life._ This was originally written for something else, but I couldn't not post it. Enjoy some fluffy war grandpas.

Tags include: Canon Era, Post-War, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Old Men In Love.

* * *

Lew wakes up late in the morning to find the bed empty of his lover. He sighs, curling around a pillow and pressing his face into it, smelling the faint lingering scent of Dick's shampoo. The pillow is cold, Dick having gotten up hours ago. He remembers mornings spent in New Jersey after the war; Dick had liked to stay up late with Lew then, often sleeping in with him on weekends. But age has finally worn Dick down, and he can no longer stay awake past nine o'clock. Dick is almost always up and about by six in the morning, leaving Lew to sleep half the day away.

Lew grumbles into the pillow, wanting Dick here with him. He feels loathe to get up, but a headache presses at his temples and his stomach growls, and Lew knows Dick will have breakfast waiting downstairs. He drags himself out of bed, putting on a robe and slippers and ambling downstairs. He finds Dick sitting at the kitchen table, dressed in a worn blue sweater that might have been Lew's at one point and reading the newspaper, glasses perched low on his nose. He looks up at Lew and smiles.

"Morning," he says warmly, putting down the newspaper and taking off his glasses. "I'll make you pancakes."

"Sounds good," Lew murmurs, sitting down.

He watches as Dick works, eyes following the curve of Dick's ass in his form-fitting trousers. Dick looks as fine as ever- if not even more attractive. Lew almost can't stand it. In their younger years Dick was always convinced that Lew was the attractive one, Dick too long-limbed and pale, his face too narrow. He'd been shy about his looks for so long. Now Lew thinks they've changed places. Dick had somehow improved with age, his hair going evenly white, a faint gold sheen to it in the right light, and aside from fuller cheeks and wrinkles, he looks much the same as he had all those years ago when Lew first set eyes on him at OCS. Lew knows he isn't much to look at; mousy grey curls and far too much weight in his middle, and he sometimes feels shy next to Dick's healthy vitality.

Dick catches Lew's gaze as he sets down a plate of pancakes and Lew's insulin. He smiles knowingly, kissing Lew's temple.

"Eat up," he says simply. "Coffee will be done in a sec."

"Mmm, coffee," Lew says, dosing himself. It hurts, this time, and he bites back a pained grunt. He'd thought that after all these years it wouldn't hurt anymore, but it does. Dick looks over his shoulder, frowning.

"I'm okay," Lew assures Dick, pulling his robe closed again and cleaning up. Lew distracts himself with pancakes, and Dick returns to the table with two mugs of coffee, black for Lew and extra cream and sugar for himself. They eat in a companionable silence, Dick scratching away at a crossword puzzle between bites, Lew looking out the window and thinking.

He'd never have imagined living his life this way. After all they'd endured together, in the war and after, trying to find their way back into society, Lew had always quietly nursed a fear that Dick would find someone better and leave him behind to return to Nixon, New Jersey with his tail between his legs. But somehow it had worked out between them, and more importantly, it had lasted. Lew found peace and stability, something he never thought he'd want or need, and a man who loved him damn near unconditionally, who stood by his side when he chose to get sober and refused to lose faith in him or his recovery. It was more than he could ever have asked for, and he's beyond grateful for it.

Lew looks at Dick, his brow creased in concentration as he tries to work out the puzzle, and knows he's found his home.


	12. Best-Laid Plans (Often Go Awry) - Winnix

**Author's Note:** _At OCS, Nix tries to avoid the enticing red-haired lieutenant he's bunking with. It works for about a week._

Tags include: Pre-Canon, First Meeting, Friendship, Fort Benning.

* * *

Lewis Nixon notices Dick Winters the first day they spent together at OCS. He'd always had a thing for redheads, and Dick stands tall and proud in the cold morning sun with gleaming copper hair and sharp blue eyes. Nix knows then that he is in trouble.

He isn't planning to see combat if he can help it, and he can tell that Winters is one of those soldierly types; someone with far too much pride to willingly be anything less than the best at whatever he is assigned, someone who wants to _make a difference_. Nix can't stand his type, usually, and takes what he considers the most intelligent course of action: avoiding Dick Winters like the plague.

Of course, he'd quite forgotten that he is a Nixon, and Nixons always get what they want, whether they fight for it or not. And in a quiet corner of his heart, Nix knew he wanted Winters long before they'd ever laid eyes on one another.

He manages to avoid Winters for about a week before it happens. Nixon had already enjoyed weekend passes off-base in Trenton; Fort Benning sees no change in his behaviors. He drinks and dances and beds a beautiful woman whose name he's already forgotten upon waking alone in a hotel room, and generally has a swell time doing as he pleases. He returns to camp alone late on Sunday and flops down onto his cot, pointedly ignoring Winters, who is reading something- a field manual, if Nixon has to guess. _Damn goody-two-shoes,_ he thinks, and promptly passes out.

In the morning at reveille he is reminded with a vengeance that he has been mostly sober for a while now, and he dresses blearily, his head pounding. He's just about to leave when a hand grabs his arm, and he pulls away sharply, looking into a freckled face.

"Your tie's askew," Winters says, reaching for Nix's collar like it's nothing. Nix swallows, getting an inviting whiff of pomade and cologne, and thinks, _I'm too sober for this_. Winters' hands fall away and he steps back, giving Nixon a smile. "Fixed," he says needlessly.

"Thanks," Nix says, cracking a grin at Winters. "I didn't realize officers got their own valets."

A smile spreads slowly across Winters's face. "They don't," he remarks, "but you look a little lost without one."

And Nix thinks, _I could get used to this_.


	13. Sorry is Gone - Winnix

**Author's Note:** _Dick and Lew meet again after some time apart._ For Impala_Chick. Fill for the 2018 Fandom Stocking.

Tags include: Canon Era, Post-War, 1950s, Emotional Hurt, Angst with a Happy Ending, Apologies, Triple Drabble.

* * *

"I don't need you anymore, Lewis. I've learned to live without you."

Lew's expression hardens. "So that's how it is." Dick can see his jaw working. He turns to look out the window, his hard, cool expression- the one Dick had grown to hate so strongly- beginning to crumble. "I never stopped caring about you, you know," he says, and Dick's stomach quivers at the melancholic whisper of his old friend's voice. But he scoffs at the words.

"If you cared, you wouldn't have thrown me to the side the way you did," Dick says hotly. "I spent _five years_ wondering what I did wrong, Lewis, and I finally realized it wasn't me, it was you."

"You have no idea what I was going through!" Lew hisses, dropping a fist hard on the table. "Dick, I- I never meant to hurt you, I swear to God."

"Well, you did." Dick swallows hard, crossing his arms over his chest. Lew looks up, meeting Dick's eyes again, and Dick is expecting Lew to make excuses, or storm away. What Lew does say, though, makes all of Dick's heartbroken rage melt away.

"I'm sorry." It's the most sincere thing he's ever heard Lew say- and more importantly- the only apology he's ever heard from him. "I don't expect you to forgive me. But I'm sorry, Dick. I really am. I was trying not to hurt you...but I did. And I have no fucking clue how to fix this, but I want to. I swear to God I do."

"You mean it," Dick says, and it's not a question.

"I do," Lew confirms.

Dick sighs, unfolding his arms. "That's all I needed." He quirks a smile, sliding a hand across the table, closing his palm over Lew's hand. "Thank you, Lew."

Lew smiles.


	14. Heart to Heart - Winnix

**Author's Note:** _Dick and Lew have a conversation during Lew's recovery._ For nostalgicatsea. Fill for the 2018 Fandom Stocking.

Tags include: Canon Era, Post-War, Hurt/Comfort, Alcohol Withdrawal, Triple Drabble.

* * *

"I thought I told you to leave," Lew mumbles, not opening his eyes.

"You did," Dick replies lightly. "Can't get rid of me that easily. I brought you something to eat."

Lew moans. "You want me to throw up on your-" he cracks an eye open, looking at Dick's thighs, "brand new trousers?"

"There's a garbage bin, Lew," Dick admonishes softly. "Now, c'mon, you need to eat something. It's been four days."

"Christ, only four days?" Lew sits up, rubbing his temples. "Felt like more." Four days he'd spent with the shakes, unable to sleep or keep anything down- they had gone into this with some idea of what to expect, but nothing could ever have prepared Lew for the full weight of it. It'd been a week since his last drink, if he's got it right. Dick looks contemplative, and Lew wonders how bad it'd gotten. He can't remember much.

"Here," Dick says, putting a bowl of soup in Lew's hands. "You'll feel better with some food in you."

"Sure," Lew grouses, eyeing the soup. He forgoes the spoon, pressing the bowl to his lips and taking a drink of the broth. It's homemade- Lew wonders if Dick had made it, or if he'd enlisted the help of one of his many lady friends. Lew snorts at the thought- Dick has left quite the trail of broken hearts across the East coast, and he's charmingly oblivious to it.

"Lew," Dick says, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"When you were...with the shakes, you were saying my name, over and over again." Dick picks at his trousers shyly. "D'you remember?"

"Yeah," Lew admits. "I- I saw you die."

Dick glances up.

"It's something I dream a lot," Lew confesses. "Scares the hell out of me."

"Yeah," Dick says softly.


	15. Helping Hand - WinLip

**Author's Note:** _Winters gives Carwood a helping hand while he's down with pneumonia in Haguenau._ For mols. Fill for the 2018 Fandom Stocking.

Tags include: Canon Era, Episode: s01e08 The Last Patrol, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Caretaking, Bathing/Washing.

* * *

"Lip," Winters murmurs, "wake up, I've got something to show you."

Carwood groans, prying his eyes open. He'd fallen asleep on the couch in their makeshift CP, and he feels faintly humiliated. Winters is leaning over him, a warm smile on his face, and there's no one else in the room. He smells fresh, and his face is clean, his hair brighter, if no longer the brilliant copper it had been in Toccoa. Carwood sits up slowly, rubbing his eyes.

"What'd you want to show me?" Carwood asks, accepting Winters' arm as he stands, swaying a bit on his feet. He's wracked by another coughing spell, and Winters holds him upright until he's finished.

"You'll see," says Winters, walking Carwood up the stairs and into the master bedroom of the house. Winters sits Carwood down on the bed. Carwood realizes there is a wash basin next to the bed, steam rising from the water within it. A fire blazes and crackles quietly on the other side of the room, and Winters sets to unwrapping a fresh bar of soap.

"There's hot showers set up now, and soap," says Winters. "But I figured you wouldn't want to risk standing up too long."

Carwood nods, familiar with Winters' way of leadership. He watches as Winters sets the soap aside, coming over to Carwood and touching his collar, silently asking permission to undress him. Carwood nods, letting Winters peel layers of stiff, filthy canvas and cotton from his skin. Winters strips Carwood down to his waist, then goes to the basin, wetting the bar of soap and lathering his palms. He starts at Carwood's shoulders, working from behind, rubbing the lather in with slow, gentle circles. Carwood can feel the callouses on Winters' palms, his fingers; his skin made tough with war, with survival. Winters works the lather up the back of Carwood's neck and behind his ears. He pulls away, and Carwood mourns the loss.

Winters' hands return quickly, working more soap into Carwood's hair, from his nape to his widow's peak. Carwood lets his eyes close as Winters takes up a cloth, soaking it in the hot water, and begins to rinse Carwood's hair. It feels like a dream, and Carwood lets himself relax into Winters' gentle ministrations, thinking of nothing at all. Winters bathes Carwood down to the waist, washing every inch of him twice over to get all the sweat and grime off.

"There," Winters says once he's finished. "If you want to finish, I can leave," he offers, and Carwood opens his eyes, looking up at Winters. His cheeks are flushed, but he holds Carwood's gaze evenly.

"I'm alright," Carwood says. "Thank you, sir."

"Please," Winters smiles. "Call me Dick."


	16. Hopeless - Winnix

**Author's Note: **_In Bastogne, Lewis Nixon learns what it is to feel hopeless._ For TwoAxes. Fill for the 2018 Fandom Stocking.

Tags include: Canon Era, Episode: s01e06 Bastogne, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Triple Drabble.

* * *

"Lew, wake up!" Dick's voice cuts through Lew's consciousness and he pries his eyes open. It's dark, but he can just make out Dick's silhouette above him.

"I'm up," Lew says, wincing. His throat feels like it's full of glass.

"Thank God," Dick breathes out, falling back against the wall of their foxhole. "I thought you were-" he cuts himself off, shaking his head. Lew frowns, pressing himself against Dick's side.

"Still here," he says. He can't think of anything else to say- he knows his snarky quips are what had kept Dick going until now, but the Ardennes have sucked the hope out of even Luz. Lew's hope was gone a long time ago. He wonders if he'll die here, at the bottom of a hole in the forest in Belgium. It's certainly not how he'd imagined dying, even after joining the Army.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this," Dick says quietly.

"Yeah," says Lew. He's started to shiver again, and his teeth clack together painfully when he speaks. "Me either."

"You should walk the line," Dick says.

"I should," Lew agrees, but doesn't move to get up. He can feel Dick shivering. There's barely a temperature difference between the two of them in the hole and outside, but Lew feels loathe to move, to leave his friend behind. Somewhere along the line they'd become more than joined at the hip, and Lew can't imagine a life where he doesn't have Dick at his side. He turns, resting his head on Dick's shoulder, and sighs. His lips brush the chilly skin of Dick's neck where his scarf doesn't cover, and Lew thinks about kissing him.

"Lew," Dick murmurs, but it doesn't sound like a warning. He turns, facing Lew in the dark.

Lew kisses him.


	17. Care - Winnix

**Author's Note:** _Nix takes care of Dick._ For Lady_Katana. Fill for the 2018 Fandom Stocking.

Tags include: Canon Era, Post-War, Sickfic, Hurt/Comfort, Fever, Domestic Fluff, Unspoken Feelings, Bathing/Washing, Triple Drabble.

* * *

"Hey, Dick." Lew's voice, hushed. "C'mon, wake up."

"Mmm," Dick groans, cracking an eye open. "Said you'd let me sleep."

"I did," says Lew, patting Dick on the hip. "It's been four hours, buddy. We need to get you into a different shirt- you've already sweat through that one."

"Oh." Dick rolls onto his back, blinking up at Lew. The gauzy feeling of sleep falls away and he groans, rubbing his eyes irritably. His entire body aches, and his throat feels dry and scratchy. He winces as he tries to speak. "What time's it?" The curtains are pulled shut, but he can't see any light coming in from outside. Lew's face is haloed by the dim yellow glow of the hallway light.

"Three in the morning," Lew says, helping Dick sit up.

"Sorry," Dick says miserably, letting Lew lift his arms and peel his shirt off.

"I was up anyway. Here," says Lew, pressing a cool washcloth to Dick's chest. Dick shivers, watching blearily as Lew gently cleans his torso and arms. Dick had only gotten sick a few days ago, but it feels like it's been a month already. He closes his eyes. "At least you're not coughing anymore," Lew remarks softly. His hand pulls away, and Dick opens his eyes again, looking at Lew.

"You take care of me, Lew," Dick says. "You don't have to."

Lew grins. "Sure I do. Who else will?"

Dick smiles at Lew, that special smile he reserves just for him. He sees Lew's grin falter, the humor in his eyes fading into something softer, something more sincere. Something he doesn't often show. Lew looks away quickly, picking up the folded shirt he'd set on the bed by his thigh.

"Here," he says. "Clean shirt, then it's back to bed for you, Dick."


	18. A Promise Made - WinLip

**Author's Note:** _Carwood takes a leap of faith and acts on his feelings for Winters, with unexpected results._ Prompt meme fill for shinya_diey on DW.

Tags include: Canon Era, Period Typical Attitudes, Ethics, Hopeful Ending.

* * *

Winters is still against Carwood's lips and he pulls back, his stomach tightening with anxiety. Had he misread the signs? Would Winters court-martial him and get him blue discharged, or worse? His heart pounds in his chest.

"S-sir," he says, taking a half-step back. Winters' hand snaps forward, grabbing him by the wrist. Startled, Carwood looks up at the captain's face. Winters looks pained, his lips twisted downwards in a tight frown.

"First Sergeant Lipton," Winters says. Then carefully, experimentally, "Carwood."

"Sir," Carwood answers unsteadily.

Winters lets go of Carwood's hand, his grey-blue eyes flicking away from Carwood's gaze to look at the floor.

"I don't know if I can do this," Winters says.

"I overstepped, sir," Carwood says, apologetic. "I thought..."

Winters shakes his head. "It isn't that." He quirks a small smile, reaching back to rub the back of his neck with one hand. "I...I do reciprocate these feelings, Carwood. It's just that I'm a very principled man. I won't put myself in a position to take from a subordinate. I won't allow for there to be"— Winters' tongue darts out, wetting his lips—"any imbalance of power between us."

"Oh," Carwood says, dumbly. Winters meets his gaze again, a question in the twitch of his lips, and Carwood explains hurriedly, "I thought you might court martial me, or worse."

Winters' eyes widen. "No! No, I would never." He looks cussed at the thought. "No matter my own preferences, a soldier's personal life is his business. It doesn't hinder him from serving his country with honor and dignity if he loves another man."

Carwood smiles. "You're a better man than you know, sir," he says.

"Maybe," Winters allows. "But, Carwood—look, I really would, if you and I weren't in the positions we are now." He casts a surreptitious glance around the room, then clasps Carwood's hand in his own two palms. "Make me an offer again when the war's finished."

_If we both make it out alive,_ Carwood thinks mournfully, but he nods.

"I will, sir."


	19. A Promise Kept - WinLip

**Author's Note:** _Dick seals his promise to Carwood with a kiss._ Prompt fill for mols. This prompt was from a NSFW list, but it didn't turn out that way at all. I'm sorry!

Tags include: Canon Era, Episode: s01e10 Points, First Kiss, Wholesome Gay Content.

* * *

As their end-of-the-war celebratory baseball game is wrapping up, Carwood sees Winters and Nixon getting up to leave. He bids a harried good-bye to the guys, jogging over to the two men he'd come to know as his fellow officers. Nixon nudges Winters' shoulder, nodding towards the hotel.

"You know where to find me," he drawls, and walks away, leaving Carwood and Winters standing together in the field.

"First Lieutenant Lipton," Winters greets, smiling warmly. "Good game."

Carwood manages a shy grin. "Thank you, sir." He hesitates, wondering if it's too late—if the moment he'd clung on to for all of the war is in the past now, Winters having put it behind him. Before he can say anything, though, Winters clasps a hand on Carwood's shoulder.

"Let's go somewhere private, Carwood," he says. A thrill runs down Carwood's spine.

"Sir," he agrees.

Carwood matches Winters' easy, loping stride as they head away from the hotel and into a thickly forested area. Neither man speaks, Carwood feeling curious and somewhat uncertain, and Winters—judging by his expression—relaxed and at peace. It's an expression Carwood hasn't seen on the man's face in almost two years, he realizes. Winters had shouldered so much as commander of Easy company, more than Carwood could ever imagine being able to handle on his own. But now the lines around his mouth and above his brow have smoothed, and his eyes look clearer, brighter than they have been in a while.

Carwood knows vaguely that they are approaching the Zeller See when a small cottage comes into view. It's isolated, unguarded; tucked away with near complete privacy in the thicket of trees surrounding it.

"What is this place, sir?" Carwood asks.

"You don't have to call me by rank here," Winters says kindly. "It's just a little place I found on a stroll. No one else knows about it." He guides Carwood up the steps and into the small home. It's furnished, but there are no pictures on the walls, no vases or valuables decorating the surfaces of the heavy furniture. Winters perches on a couch, and Carwood joins him, feeling rather awkward.

"Major Winters—I mean, Dick," Carwood stumbles over the name, flushing with nerves. "After Market Garden, I expressed an interest in you. And you told me to wait until the war was over. And, well, it's over now, sir, and I just wanted to know if you're still-"

"Carwood," Dick says, interrupting him. "The answer is yes." He leans in, pausing just a breath short of Carwood's lips and meeting his eyes in askance.

"Please," Carwood says softly, and Dick kisses him. Carwood melts into the kiss, warmth blooming in his chest, flooding his stomach. Somehow he'd never imagined that kissing Dick would feel like this. Dick's lips are thin, but soft; his mouth is firm and confident against Carwood's. He breaks the kiss, taking Carwood's cheek in his palm.

"You're so beautiful," Dick says, stroking his thumb down the side of Carwood's face. Carwood flushes, lowering his gaze.

"I'm not so sure about that," he confesses quietly. "You and Nix, you're—you're Hollywood handsome. I'm just, well, me."

Dick chuckles, smiling. "It's 'just you' that I fell in love with, Carwood."


	20. Fold - Nix & Harry

**Author's Note:** _Dick walks in on the guys playing strip poker._ Prompt meme fill for mols. Again, this was supposed to just be Harry & Nix, but I couldn't think of a scenario that was just them.

Tags include: Canon Era, Double Drabble, Humor, Strip Poker, Mild Humiliation.

* * *

Nix has just finished kicking his trousers off with a huff when Dick walks into the dining room. He pauses, brow creasing as he takes in the sight of Nix, Harry, Lip, and Ron all sitting at the table together, cards in hand and missing various pieces of clothing.

"Oh, shit," Nix swears.

"It isn't what it looks like!" Harry yells. At Dick's raised eyebrow, he crumples. "Okay...Maybe it is. We're playing strip poker. Nix is losing."

"Hey!" Nix complains, blushing furiously as Dick's gaze slides over him, taking in his bare chest and legs. They'd gotten him down to his skivvies and his socks already and he's just about to call it quits right here and now before he embarrasses himself any further when Dick speaks up.

"You do have a terrible poker face, Lew," Dick says, his lips pulling in a mischievous smirk. "Room for one more?"

"Sure thing," Lip agrees easily.

Nix gapes. "But you don't play!"

Dick only smiles, pulling up a chair.

Harry laughs, slapping Nix's shoulder. "Seems there's a lot about Dick Winters we don't know, buddy."

Nix moans, dismayed. "Now I _have_ to stick around. I can't miss this."

Dick's smile widens.


	21. In a Merry Mood - Winnix

**Author's Note:** Some holiday fluff written on request of silentmystarship on Tumblr. It's early, but happy Joe Toye Day!

Tags include: Canon Era, Post-War, Fluff, Knitting, Holidays, Wholesome Gay Content.

* * *

After the war, in their little house in Pennsylvania, Dick's restlessness manifests in odd ways. He takes odd jobs in the town, fixing people's fences and repainting their walls. He refuses to take money in exchange for his labor, so on those days he comes back with various trinkets of appreciation, or more frequently, food.

But it's not often that people need these little things fixed, and Dick's no good for plumbing or electrical breaks. When winter moves in and they're cooped up in the house more often than not, he starts teaching himself other hobbies.

He tries to take up cooking, but after the third time he utterly ruins a meal and wastes perfectly good ingredients, Nix banishes him from the kitchen. Dick tries buying a model kit, inspired by Nix's model yachts on the shelf at his mother's penthouse in New York, but after gluing his own fingers together more than the parts, he gives up with a huff of frustration. When he's sorting through boxes in the attic a few days later, he finds a few balls of yarn and his mother's old knitting needles.

Dick has no idea where to even begin with knitting, so on Nix's next trip outside they stop at the library, where Dick picks up a few books with knitting patterns and techniques, ignoring Nix's amused chuckle.

As the holidays move in and their tree goes up in the living room, Dick spends his free time knitting by the fireplace. He works his way up from scarves to sweaters and hats, all of which he foists on Nix to try on. They range from miserable failures that could only fit a child (and are thusly donated to the church) to moderately wearable but unattractive things Dick keeps for himself, but he gets better with practice.

He's working on a wine red sweater he plans to give to Nix for Christmas one blustery December night when Nix comes up behind him, setting down a glass of milk and a plate of freshly-baked cookies on the table by Dick's elbow.

"Thanks, Lew," Dick says, pausing his knitting to accept a kiss.

"Gingersnap," Nix says, smiling. "Your favorite."

"They smell great."

Nix lets out a satisfied hum, nabbing one for himself and curling up in the chair opposite Dick's. His feet are bare, and Dick frowns.

Make that a sweater _and_ socks for Christmas, he thinks, taking a cookie for himself.


	22. For Sentimental Reasons - Winnix

**Author's Note:** This idea hit me like a freight train and I couldn't say no.

Tags include: Canon Era, Post-War, Fluff, Talking, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Wholesome Gay Content.

* * *

They've been talking late into the evening when Dick tags along and follows Nix's migration to his bedroom. Nix doesn't think much of it until Dick lies his head down on a pillow, as casual as ever. Then it hits him—Dick Winters, his best friend, is lying here in _his_ bed. His heart beats faster to think of the implications.

"You should go." Nix says. "It's past your bedtime."

Dick shakes his head. "I'm not tired," he argues, eyes betraying him as they droop shut.

"You can't even keep your eyes open."

"I'm just resting them."

"Sure you are," Nix says. He debates lying down parallel to Dick, then gives in, stretching out like a cat. If Dick falls asleep here, well. They've shared a foxhole, haven't they?

Somehow, it doesn't feel the same.

"Did you ever think we'd have this?" Dick asks.

"Have what?"

"Peace," Dick answers. Then, softer, "A home."

Nix frowns. He's never thought of New Jersey as home—nor California, for that matter. When he thinks of home, he thinks of a war. And he knows that's not fair to all the boys who died over there, who had homes and unbroken families to return to. It's not fair to Dick, who wrote home to his family at least once every week.

"No," Nix answers instead. "I didn't think I'd survive."

Dick's brow creases, but he nods. "Well, I'm glad you did. No one else understands, Lew. The boys back in Lancaster County—they all seemed so carefree. They have no idea what we paid in blood over there. I couldn't stand it. I had to leave. I had to come here."

"Jersey's got plenty of 4Fs," Nix says, a little perplexed. "You met my buddies at the Yale club."

"No, Lew, it was you I had to see," Dick says fondly. He reaches a hand forward from where it'd been tucked under his chin and cups Nix's cheek in his palm. Nix feels his face flush hot and he curses his complexion, but Dick's just looking at him with a dopey sort of smile he's never seen before, his eyes crinkling.

"What are you doing?" Nix asks.

"I'm looking at you," Dick answers softly, his thumb stroking Nix's cheek. It sends a thrill down his spine, but he knows he should discourage it.

"I can't be much to look at," Nix demurs. Before he can push Dick's hand away, Dick's leaned in and pressed their lips together. Nix only stays still for a moment before he melts into the kiss, his own desperation for touch shocking him.

Dick breaks away, looking into Nix's eyes. His hand is still on Nix's cheek, and Nix nuzzles into the touch, letting his lips pull up in a cautious smile.

"You're beautiful, Lew," Dick says, and leans in again to drop kisses on Nix's nose, cheeks, and eyelids, seemingly caught up in the tenderness of the moment. Nix had dreamed of this more times than he can count, ever since he'd looked at Dick on the night of June 5th, 1944 and known suddenly that if there was any reason to survive this war, it was to see Dick Winters to the end of it; to see him safe, peaceful, and happy.

"I love you," Lew says, unbidden, and realizes he means it. Love had always felt abstract to him before—just something that people said. But with Dick, he realizes he can feel it; in every word, every touch, every glance they've shared, the feeling pressing against his ribs couldn't have been anything but this.

Dick's lips pull in a dazzling smile. "I love you too, Lew."


End file.
